Highest ever figures for Radio 2 & Evans

Chris Evans and BBC Radio 2 have both recorded their highest ever audience figures, with the station now reaching over 15 million listeners.

Chris now has 9.8 million listeners at breakfast up from 9.2m last year and 9.5 last quarter.

And with Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw dropping to 5.7m weekly listeners, it makes the gap between the two stations, which at one point was less than a million between Wogan and Moyles, even bigger.

BBC Radio 4 now has a weekly reach of 10.76 million from 10.31 million last year whilst the Today programme gets a weekly reach of 6.94 million, up from 6.66 million last year but down slightly on the quarter from 7.05 million.

This year’s Sony Station of the Year, 5live, reported 6.29 million listeners a week, down from 6.36 million last year but up on the quarter from 6.12 million. Share was down slightly to 4% from 4.4% last year and 4.3% last quarter.

The Asian Network achieved its second-highest reach at 554,000 listeners a week, up from 540,000 last year and 453,000 last quarter.

All four BBC digital networks continued to show strong performances with increases on the year but the much hyped 6 Music lost listeners on the quarter.

Radio 3 Breakfast showed a strong increase to 704,000 weekly listeners, from 576,000 last year and 606,000 in the last quarter.

Helen Boaden, Director of BBC Radio, said: “Radio kicks off 2013 with a robust set of figures for the industry as a whole and I’m delighted that BBC Radio still attracts more than 35 million people every week. Radio 2 goes from strength to strength, setting new records across the board.

“The brand new schedule continues to bed in at Radio 1 and we remain confident that it will emerge strongly from a period of transition. Radio 1 is in good health – as clearly demonstrated by five golds at this week’s Sony Radio Academy Awards.”